A group of robbers held passengers at gunpoint and looted their belongings in broad daylight on the Eidgaon–Eidgarh–Baishari road, which runs through the hilly areas of Eidgaon and Ramu upazilas in Cox’s Bazar. The incidents took place in two phases at Himchhari Dhala area on the road on Monday.
At least 50 to 60 vehicles, mostly CNG-run auto-rickshaws and motorcycles, fell victim to the robbers. More than 100 passengers were robbed of cash, mobile phones and other valuables.
Police had not arrested anyone in connection with the incidents by Monday evening.
According to the victims, an armed group of 10 to 12 masked men stopped vehicles on the road and held passengers at gunpoint. They then took them to the jungle nearby, beat them up and robbed them of money and belongings. Several victims alleged that the robberies continued for hours without any police patrol at the scene.
Confirming the incidents, Eidgaon police station officer-in-charge (OC) ATM Sifatul Majdar told Prothom Alo that some local criminals had set up roadblocks, robbed vehicles and taken shelter in the jungle.
Several police teams were conducting operations to detain them, but no one had been caught by the evening. Patrols had been stepped up in the dense forest areas along the 17-kilometre Eidgaon–Eidgarh–Baishari road. However, the OC could not confirm the total number of vehicles robbed.
Mohammad Robiul Islam, manager of the Eidgarh branch of a private organisation, said he was travelling by motorcycle from Eidgaon Bazar to Eidgarh with another person at around 12:00 pm on Monday. They were carrying Tk 120,000.
When they reached Himchhari Dhala, 10 to 12 masked and armed men stopped their motorcycle. The two men were then taken to a nearby jungle and beaten. The robbers searched them and snatched Tk 120,000, two mobile phones and documents before releasing them a short while later.
Robiul Islam said the robbers held more than 100 passengers travelling in 50 to 60 auto-rickshaws and motorcycles at gunpoint and looted them for nearly two hours. Police arrived at the scene and launched an operation at around 3:00 pm but failed to detain anyone. He also alleged that there had been no police patrol on the road during the incident.
Abdul Hakim, an accountant at the Eidgarh branch of another private organisation, said he and two others were travelling in an auto-rickshaw from Eidgaon Bazar to Eidgarh Bazar when armed robbers held them at gunpoint. They were taken to a jungle and beaten, and the robbers snatched Tk 150,000 and a bank cheque book.
Expressing his anger, Abdul Hakim said robberies occurred frequently on the road. Abductions for ransom were also common, yet no effective measures had been taken to ensure passengers’ safety.
Mohammad Tarek, a resident of Eidgarh, was also a victim of the robbery. He said he was travelling from Eidgaon to Eidgarh in a CNG-run auto-rickshaw with five passengers at around 6:30 am on Monday. When they reached Himchhari Dhala, the vehicle fell into the robbers’ hands. His mobile phone was taken, and he jumped out of the moving auto-rickshaw to escape with his life.
According to several people who were at the scene, the robberies took place in two phases, at 8:00 am and 12:00 pm on Monday. The two phases lasted around two and a half hours in total. They claimed that passengers in at least 50 to 60 vehicles fell victim to the robbers during that time.